Had to start a big case with little warning or help yesterday, about 9 hours into the 12 I would work. Always fun. Then wound up with my manager/supervisor watching, as well as several visiting surgeons. Lots of equipment, two surgeons working - with attached residents. And a gap as the scrub who'd been there all day disappeared, and a scrub nurse flitted in and out for a while during the set up, with the attending anesthesiologist bringing in the patient despite pleas for a few more minutes. Two reps for two products.
I shrugged, and did what I needed to do, moving and smarting off as applicable. Kinda fun, actually. And the scrub nurse, who is often the charge nurse, told me she was impressed. Yes, well, those are the times when I shine. Everything worked out fine, despite a great deal of initial mess, and the foot control for the C-arm did not get a cover, and took way too much effort to remove the "bioburden" at the end of the evening. I had everything tucked up about an hour in, charting done, room as tidy as possible. That with the help of Sue, who came in when she could, and gave me a break at the right moment, and took care of the specimens.
A nice little schottische.
Manager stood back, shivering. I put my warm hands on her arm, she was surprized. Room isn't cold to me. I don't know if she could tell I was holding it all together.
9 comments:
I wrote a comment on my own post about doing heart surgery, which never surfaced for some reason, which said that for a long time I figured it would be okay, because you'd be there, and you'd know what to do. It was greatly reassuring until I realized they don't let you guys do the cutting :-)
Dale,
And a very good thing they don't. I'm happy to let the surgeons do that. Although some scrub techs do sew, usually just the last skin layer. They are specially trained and certified to do so, and under the surgeon's supervision. Often they do a better job at that bit.
As one surgeon told me, "trained monkey could do your job." He meant it to be funny, and it was.
Competence is very warming. I observe and appreciate it in whatever field it appears. I value my own too.
Wish you could be here if I have to go under for anything. I'd feel a lot better about it.
:)
Cool calm collectedness is absorbed by others. It becomes an anchor. Good when people acknowledge it and better still when you value it in yourself.
Warm hands = warm heart.
Crow,
There really are a lot of good nurses. I'm very sad you've come across bad ones.
den,
This is where I got in trouble this past year, letting my stress build up and leak out.
H,
Except right after I do the alcohol gel on my hands, always right before I meet a new patient...
Bravo, Zhoen.
Bless you for giving care, at whatever competence level -- well not whatever!
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